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Lovely Death
He never intended for it, but the rising star director of a new Hollywood slasher film has found himself at the center of his own personal horror having gunned down his stalker, Laura Scranton. Her death may have been justified, but for Nick, Laura’s death was only the opening act. Ever since her killing, he’s been losing sleep to increasingly terrifying dreams, has even begun seeing things in the waking world that aren’t really there. It appears that even in death Laura refuses to release her icy grip on his sanity. And if Nick can’t figure out a way to rid himself of her haunting visage soon it will cost him more than just his life. Because in exchange for their eternal bliss together Laura has promised a voodoo priest Nick’s very soul. And the time for collection is at hand.
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 26, 2014
32 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
Brandon Meyers
26 books26 followersBrandon Meyers is author of the novel "Lovely Death" and the short story collection "Chasing the Sandman." And when not writing solo, he and his best friend, Bryan Pedas, co-authored the novels "The Sensationally Absurd Life and Times of Slim Dyson," "The Missing Link," "The Graveyard Shift," and "Dead and Moaning in Las Vegas," as well as the humor blog/web-comic A Beer for the Shower. Someday he will grow up and get a real job. Brandon can be reached at brandonleemeyers@gmail.com .
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 15, 2015
Brandon Myers is a new author for me. I truly didn't know what to expect when I cracked this book open, but I can say I am impressed. This guy can write. There were a couple of typos and a couple of scenes where the timeline jumped and threw me a bit, but overall, I totally dug Lovely Death.
The story is nowhere near straightforward; there are enough surprises to keep things interesting. There is also no fat at all. The pacing was perfect. I burned through it in a couple of days.
Great, short, fast paced horror with some twists. Highly recommended.
The story is nowhere near straightforward; there are enough surprises to keep things interesting. There is also no fat at all. The pacing was perfect. I burned through it in a couple of days.
Great, short, fast paced horror with some twists. Highly recommended.
October 31, 2014
The worst thing, if you can call it a "worst" thing, about Brandon Meyers and Bryan Pedas (from A Beer for the Shower) is that their volume output exceeds my ability to keep up with it. Unless I want to just quit reading other authors for a while. I actually skipped over a few of their releases to go straight to this one so I could get to it closer to its release date since I was already way past on the others. I'm not sorry I did so. This is easily in the top three books I've read so far this year (Brave New World takes the #1 spot), so, see, it took an 80-year-old classic to beat it.
I hesitate to call Lovely Death a horror story although it does contain some horrific elements. I'd say it's closer to a psychological thriller with supernatural elements. More and more of them as you move along, but it's the psychological aspects that I found interesting. How does a man deal with guilt and what is that guilt even about? And what will people do for love? Even unhealthy love and even when they know it's unhealthy love.
The book has a lot of symbolism and recurring themes, like the car and the idea of "our song" (and what that song is). Some of these are internal, important only to the book itself (like the specific "our song" that's used); some are external, more indicative of people in general (like the car and its representation of freedom). Consistent use of symbols can be a difficult thing to do, and Meyers pulls it off much more than adequately.
Another difficulty in stories like this is consistent characterization, because you inevitably need someone to do something stupid, like go down into the basement, to move the plot forward. That's often the point where not only does the audience yell, "Don't go into the woods!" but "She would never have done that!" There are none of those problems in Lovely Death. The characters are believable and consistent. It was... refreshing.
The book's greatest strength is that it's not conventional. I'm not going to use words like "unique," here, but the approach was not one I've seen before. It causes a "What's going on here?" reaction that will pull you in. Unfortunately, the book's greatest weakness is it's rather conventional ending. The kind of ending that you'd expect in a movie, which, granted, is probably the kind of ending most people want. However, because the beginning of the book strayed so far from the norm, I was hoping for an non-traditional ending. None of that is to say that I didn't like the ending; I did. It's just the ending I expected and hoped against. Well, except for one dangling plot thread that makes me wonder if there are plans to do more with this. I suppose I will just have to wait and see on that front.
I suppose I should mention the editing, since I always do, but it almost seems superfluous to mention it when I'm dealing with products from Pedas and Meyers. Other than a philosophical difference about a particular type of comma usage, the editing in Lovely Death couldn't really be better. There was one thing somewhere near the end, a missing word or something. I've read more "professionally edited" books than I can keep track of that had errors on every page, every page!, so one dropped word in a 300+ page book is hardly worth mentioning. I hear you wondering why I'm mentioning it, then, which is because I'm pointing out how spectacular the job is.
If you like supernatural, scary, horror, psychological, thriller type stuff, this is a book you should check out.
I hesitate to call Lovely Death a horror story although it does contain some horrific elements. I'd say it's closer to a psychological thriller with supernatural elements. More and more of them as you move along, but it's the psychological aspects that I found interesting. How does a man deal with guilt and what is that guilt even about? And what will people do for love? Even unhealthy love and even when they know it's unhealthy love.
The book has a lot of symbolism and recurring themes, like the car and the idea of "our song" (and what that song is). Some of these are internal, important only to the book itself (like the specific "our song" that's used); some are external, more indicative of people in general (like the car and its representation of freedom). Consistent use of symbols can be a difficult thing to do, and Meyers pulls it off much more than adequately.
Another difficulty in stories like this is consistent characterization, because you inevitably need someone to do something stupid, like go down into the basement, to move the plot forward. That's often the point where not only does the audience yell, "Don't go into the woods!" but "She would never have done that!" There are none of those problems in Lovely Death. The characters are believable and consistent. It was... refreshing.
The book's greatest strength is that it's not conventional. I'm not going to use words like "unique," here, but the approach was not one I've seen before. It causes a "What's going on here?" reaction that will pull you in. Unfortunately, the book's greatest weakness is it's rather conventional ending. The kind of ending that you'd expect in a movie, which, granted, is probably the kind of ending most people want. However, because the beginning of the book strayed so far from the norm, I was hoping for an non-traditional ending. None of that is to say that I didn't like the ending; I did. It's just the ending I expected and hoped against. Well, except for one dangling plot thread that makes me wonder if there are plans to do more with this. I suppose I will just have to wait and see on that front.
I suppose I should mention the editing, since I always do, but it almost seems superfluous to mention it when I'm dealing with products from Pedas and Meyers. Other than a philosophical difference about a particular type of comma usage, the editing in Lovely Death couldn't really be better. There was one thing somewhere near the end, a missing word or something. I've read more "professionally edited" books than I can keep track of that had errors on every page, every page!, so one dropped word in a 300+ page book is hardly worth mentioning. I hear you wondering why I'm mentioning it, then, which is because I'm pointing out how spectacular the job is.
If you like supernatural, scary, horror, psychological, thriller type stuff, this is a book you should check out.
October 15, 2014
I can't think of a single thing to criticize about this book. Not one. It's creepy in a whole new spine-tingling way. Meyers knows just how to manipulate his words for maximum impact, and he shows his readers no mercy. Just what you want in a top-notch horror story, right?
Most people prefer to keep their working lives and home lives separate, and Nick Aragon is no different. Sure, he made his fortune writing and producing horror films, but that doesn't mean he wants to bring the horror home with him. He doesn't want to be trapped in a nightmare more horifying than his wildest dreams, or meet a deranged monster from his own stories, or be pursued by a demon worse than any he'd ever imagined. And he sure as hell never meant to kill anyone. But that's exactly what's happening. Or is it?
Maybe he's losing his mind. Maybe killing that woman is causing him to spiral out of control. Or maybe something darker than dark really is out to get him. Maybe he's about to lose his soul.
Move over Stephen King and Dean Koontz. There's a new kid on the block, and something tells me he's here to stay.
Most people prefer to keep their working lives and home lives separate, and Nick Aragon is no different. Sure, he made his fortune writing and producing horror films, but that doesn't mean he wants to bring the horror home with him. He doesn't want to be trapped in a nightmare more horifying than his wildest dreams, or meet a deranged monster from his own stories, or be pursued by a demon worse than any he'd ever imagined. And he sure as hell never meant to kill anyone. But that's exactly what's happening. Or is it?
Maybe he's losing his mind. Maybe killing that woman is causing him to spiral out of control. Or maybe something darker than dark really is out to get him. Maybe he's about to lose his soul.
Move over Stephen King and Dean Koontz. There's a new kid on the block, and something tells me he's here to stay.
December 6, 2014
Great supernatural suspense
Loved the elements of the supernatural in this story. Best editing and writing I've seen from a paranormal ebook this entire year. Kudos to the author for proving there do exist new authors out there who actually know how to write!
Loved the elements of the supernatural in this story. Best editing and writing I've seen from a paranormal ebook this entire year. Kudos to the author for proving there do exist new authors out there who actually know how to write!
October 31, 2017
This story had me on edge. I was nervous how Nick would survive his curse. Spoiler alert: my interest sort of faded after he got shot and died. I didn't care about the car chase to get to New Orleans nor did I care for the final showdown with The Black Tar Man. Maybe because Nick was a main character so I assumed nothing too bad would happen to him. My interest to the story came back when he returned to earth alive. Loved that final scene.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2020
The Car!
Thos book will grab you at breakneck speed from the very first page!
I dare you to read this and journey into the horrifying and twisted mind of the author Brandon Meyers. I promise you will not be killed into a peaceful sleep!
Thos book will grab you at breakneck speed from the very first page!
I dare you to read this and journey into the horrifying and twisted mind of the author Brandon Meyers. I promise you will not be killed into a peaceful sleep!
March 24, 2020
A horror movie story
Worth a read to see if you like it but didn't suit me.
The main character seems a bit spineless & annoyed me so reading this was slow going. There are a few good twists & turns, flashbacks & other horror movie storytelling techniques.
Worth a read to see if you like it but didn't suit me.
The main character seems a bit spineless & annoyed me so reading this was slow going. There are a few good twists & turns, flashbacks & other horror movie storytelling techniques.
August 26, 2014
Lovely Death is a chilling tale about a man who's haunted by the stalker that forced him to kill her. From beyond the grave she keeps handing him the bullet that she wants him to use to take his own life so that he can join her in a sort of miserable eternity together. And with each moment that passes, she only gets a deeper grasp on his mind, his body, and his soul.
This isn't just a book about a man consumed by demons. No, this is a tale about coming to terms with inner darkness, acknowledging the imperfections that make us human, and accepting the failures of our past so that we can move on. To call this a horror novel would be unjust, because frankly, 'horror' is only scratching the surface. Yes, it's chilling and has many scenes that left me thoroughly creeped out and checking over my shoulder at night. But above that it's suspenseful, it's unpredictable, it's gritty, and it has a sort of heart and soul that puts it leaps and bounds above your typical mindless, slasher horror book.
Hands down this was the best novel I've read all year, and as a huge reader that digests 1-2 books a week, that's not something I say lightly.
This isn't just a book about a man consumed by demons. No, this is a tale about coming to terms with inner darkness, acknowledging the imperfections that make us human, and accepting the failures of our past so that we can move on. To call this a horror novel would be unjust, because frankly, 'horror' is only scratching the surface. Yes, it's chilling and has many scenes that left me thoroughly creeped out and checking over my shoulder at night. But above that it's suspenseful, it's unpredictable, it's gritty, and it has a sort of heart and soul that puts it leaps and bounds above your typical mindless, slasher horror book.
Hands down this was the best novel I've read all year, and as a huge reader that digests 1-2 books a week, that's not something I say lightly.
November 1, 2014
An excellent combination of grit and humor make for a quick read. If you like a story with a good plot, told in a way that can make you chuckle and then cringe...this is a story to read. A bit like "An American Werewolf in London". This is a serious story, with a side of fun. And for a book lover like myself, this is an author I will keep track of.
May 28, 2015
Strong Ending - with unique and flawed characters (I like unique, flawed characters). As a classic car owner/enthusiast I really enjoyed the connection to the refurbished muscle car. Sentence structuring issues impacted my rating though, I wish the editor would have removed all the unnecessary "hads" and "thats" but overall an interesting read worth sticking with to the end.
October 16, 2015
Not since Stephen King's The Stand and It, have I enjoyed a supernatural suspense thriller like I did Lovely Death. It pulled me right in and I could not put it down. Brandon's incredible writing made it completely real and believable.
It's a great, edge of your seat story. Don't miss it.
It's a great, edge of your seat story. Don't miss it.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews